Brief Life History of Rudolf
When Rudolf Somerhalder was born on 20 April 1851, in Gontenschwil, Aargau, Switzerland, his father, Jacob Sommerhalder, was 20 and his mother, Elizabeth Giger, was 20. He married Maria Anna Steiner on 14 April 1876, in Pawnee City, Pawnee, Nebraska, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 5 daughters. He lived in Nebraska, United States in 1870 and Guide Rock, Webster, Nebraska, United States in 1900. He died on 10 October 1900, in Pawnee, Nebraska, United States, at the age of 49, and was buried in Salems Cemetery, Steinauer, Pawnee, Nebraska, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (13)
- Rudolf Sommerhaller, "United States Census, 1900"
- Rudolph Sommerhalder, "Nebraska, Marriages, 1855-1995"
- Rudolph Sommerhalder, "Find A Grave Index"
Spouse and Children
Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1856
The first settlement at Steinauer was made in the 1850s by Joseph Steinauer and his two brothers. Steinauer was platted in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Joseph A. Steinauer, an early settler and the first postmaster.
1863
Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free.
1865
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
Name Meaning
From a Latinized version, Rudolphus, of the Germanic name Hrōdwulf ( see Rolf ). It was introduced to the English-speaking world from Germany in the 19th century. Rudolf was a hereditary name among the Habsburgs, the Holy Roman Emperors and rulers of Austria, from the Emperor Rudolf I ( 1218–91 ) to the Archduke Rudolf , Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, who died in mysterious circumstances at his country house at Meyerling in 1889 . Rudolf Rassendyll was the central character of Anthony Hope's adventure stories The Prisoner of Zenda ( 1894 ) and Rupert of Hentzau ( 1898 ), in which he is an English gentleman who bears a great physical resemblance to the King of Ruritania, to whom he is distantly related. He successfully impersonates the king for reasons of state. In the early 20th century the popularity of this name was further enhanced by the American silent-film actor Rudolph Valentino ( 1895–1926 ), born in Italy as Rodolfo di Valentina d'Antonguolla . It has not been used much in recent times, perhaps being inextricably associated with ‘the red-nosed reindeer’ of the Christmas song.
Dictionary of First Names © Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges 1990, 2003, 2006.
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